


The Future I Forged

by ShadowSpirit020



Series: The Future I Forged series [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Mentions of miscarriage, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2020-02-18 14:11:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18701200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowSpirit020/pseuds/ShadowSpirit020
Summary: For years, Hiccup Haddock’s life has been determined: stay on Berk for his entire life. Now that he is older, he wants to leave and explore, but no one agrees, not even his best friends. When giving the opportunity to leave, he grabs it. Can he continue to forge his own future?





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the new and final version of Hidden Secrets, now called The Future I Forged (title thanks to [Nightstar Fury](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightstar_Fury/profile)). I originally was going to wait to get 10 chapters written, but I feel that you guys have been waiting long enough, so here’s the first chapter of the new version–though it’s pretty much the same as the original, with a few things reworded and stuff.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, that belongs to the correct people. I do own my OCs, (Katja, Kelda, Brendan, Lucas, Ariadne, and other minors), my friend Nightstar Fury owns (Frode, Freida, Signy, Soren, Brynjar, Vera, Hertha) and has been kind enough to let me use them.

**CHAPTER ONE**

(Haddock Household, Isle of Berk – March 9, 2018, 6:45 am)

"Are you kidding me?! This is a  _full-ride scholarship_  to the Rio de Janeiro Dragon Academy!" eighteen-year-old Hiccup Haddock cried, glaring at his parents. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand which showed the crest of the school in question.

This wasn't the first time he was arguing with his parents on his college of choice (it was more like the one-hundredth time, give or take). The Haddocks argument was a normal thing (be it morning or evening), ever since Hiccup started his senior year of high school. He wanted to go to a college  _outside_  the Barbaric Archipelago, his home, but his parents didn't; a) want him to go, b) there was no reason for him to leave, and c) they were too overprotective. It also didn't help that Hiccup had an adventurous streak inside him, always wanting to explore.

The college acceptance letter came in the mail last night when his parents were still at work. Hiccup didn't show them as both were exhausted from their day of work. His mother was the head veterinarian for Berkian Dragon Hospital (the biggest and most popular dragon hospital on Berk) and his father was the Mayor of Berk Isle. Hiccup did not want to suddenly push it on them–even though he had an idea where it would go, so he waited until morning... That was both a smart and a mistake on his part.

Stoick, his father, was a large man standing at six-foot-three, broad and vast with reddish-brown hair and green eyes, glared back, but Hiccup did not back down. "You do not need to go there," he repeated.

Valka, his mother, equally as tall, but with auburn-hair (that Hiccup inherited) and blue eyes, sighed, rubbing her fingers against her head. She was tired of the same argument every morning, "Hiccup, listen to your father. This is for your good," she began before being cut off.

"My good?" Hiccup questioned. "My good?!" he exclaimed, not holding it back. " _How_  is not leaving Berk my good?!" he snapped.

Stoick opened his mouth but before he could utter a word, Hiccup spoke again, "Don't bother. I'm done here," with that, he turned and stormed out of the kitchen, grabbing his backpack on the way out.

Stoick and Valka called to Hiccup, only to get a door slammed in their faces. The slamming got the attention of his parents' bonded dragons, Cloudjumper and Thornado, a Stormcutter and Thunderdrum, respectively. The two dragons were laying outside of their stable when they heard the door. Well, Cloudjumper heard the slamming of the door  _and_  the first of the argument inside. Since Thornado was a Thunderdrum, he couldn't hear them. He did hear the slamming of the door–it was loud.

Hiccup quickly made his escape into the forest behind his house. Since he was a child, his parents warned him (or more like ordered) to not go into the forest saying it wasn't safe. Hiccup knew the forest like the back of his hand, he went exploring there every day after school, finding the peace which he liked. He liked hanging with his friends–yes–but sometimes, he wanted to be alone. He couldn't hang with them at times since they all had their Bonded Dragons and had since the ninth grade.

Hiccup ran through the forest and didn't stop until he reached a certain stop; the Cove. The Cove was a secret place he found when he was younger and wanted to get away. Hiccup uses it as a haven for himself and also the secret home of his Bonded Dragon.

As soon as he stepped foot into the Cove, a blackhead popped out of a small cave near a waterfall. Once seeing Hiccup, the blackhead, full emerged from the cave revealing to be a Night Fury. That's right, Hiccup's Bonded Dragon was a Night Fury, the rarest of all dragons, The Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death Itself. Or, as Hiccup calls him, Toothless, the most playful of all dragons, that acts like a puppy 50% of the time.

Hiccup smiled as his bonded dragon and best friend came over to him. He smiled, though it wasn't a full smile and Toothless noticed it. Hiccup pushed it aside to check on his friend's tail fin, smiling when he saw that it was good.

As he looked over it, his mind went back to when he bonded with Toothless. It was the middle of November during their sophomore year. He had the normal argument with his parents and while they went to work, he went into the forest to cool off. He was walking down a path when he saw something that looked like an animal had fallen through  **(picture scene from the first movie where Hiccup went to find Toothless)**. His curiosity got the better of him and he went down, to find Toothless trapped in a trap, a bola like a trap. A normal person would have run away, but Hiccup was not normal. Before long, Hiccup was rushing over and trying to free the Night Fury; it took a while, but he eventually got the ropes cut. When Toothless was free, he surprised Hiccup by leaping at him and roaring in his face and then running off. The next few days, Hiccup returned to the stop to try to find Night Fury again. On the fourth day of searching, he was able to find the dragon, trapped in the cove. The bola had stripped the Night Fury of one of his tail fins, rendering him unable to fly. The ever-caring kid Hiccup was, he wanted to help. But to get close to a rare Strike class dragon was going to be tough. In the end, Hiccup Bonded to the Dragon and was then able to make a prosthetic tail fin for Toothless and a rig to allow him to control and ride Toothless.

Toothless sensed Hiccup being off on something and nosed his Human, but Hiccup just smiled, "I'm fine boy,"

Toothless narrowed his sharp green eyes (ones that looked very close to Hiccup's own) and stared at his human. Hiccup stared back, neither one backing down. Hiccup sighed, "I'm fine, alright Toothless. Just annoyed at my parents," he gave a weak smile. Toothless knew about the arguments Hiccup had with his parents, Hiccup would rant about them during their afternoon meetups.

Leaning against his dragon, Hiccup's mind went to the plan he had developing. Since he was now 18 the legal adult age, having turned last Wednesday (though his birthday was February 29, Leap Year), he could leave the Barbaric Archipelago. Once he graduated in June, he was hopping on Toothless and flying out. He hadn't decided where he was going to go, but he'll go wherever the wind took him. He didn't need to worry about money, he had money saved in a separate, private account. He was only able to get the money from working with his godfather, Gobber Forgeson, in his business, a garage, and saddle-making; in fact, it's the only job his parents allowed him to get.

No matter what was to happen, once graduation came, Hiccup was leaving that night with Toothless, and not turning back. A sudden vibration in his pocket made him pull in his phone out. It was a text from his younger cousin, Adelaide Jorgenson, wondering where he was. When he opened his phone, he saw that it was 7:05 am, giving him 25 minutes until school started. He sent a quick text to Adelaide lettering her know that he was on his way and then shut his phone off. He stood up, giving himself a good stretch before turning to his dragon.

"Come on, I'm going to be late for school if we don't leave now. What the hell am I saying? I'm Bonded to a Night Fury."

. . .

(Berk High School – 7:25 am)

The flight from the Cove to Berk High School was only a ten-minute flight with Toothless but wanting the flight to last longer and hopefully, it helped him calm down, Hiccup had Toothless go the long way around, which took them about 20 minutes. Toothless stopped at the forest's edge and Hiccup climbed off. "Thanks, bud, see you later," Toothless gave a gummy smile before darting back into the darker parts of the forest.

Hiccup took a deep breath and turned and walked toward the school's Dragon Training arena. What made Berk in the first place was its Dragon Training Program, founded eons ago by Hiccup's ancestor, Chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III when he ended a fearsome dragon war with his dragon. Unfortunately, the dragon's information became lost over the years, to the point no one knows what it was. During a project on family history, Hiccup found some information that showed pictures and journals on his ancestor's dragon that looked  _very similar_ to Toothless, making him speculate that his ancestor's dragon was possibly a Night Fury as well. He found many symbols in journals of his ancestor that looked like a Night Fury, but Hiccup wouldn't say what he thought without more information.

Hiccup waved hello to the school's dragon staff, before proceeding down the aisle. Cutting through the stables was quicker and cut his time by half, plus, it was close to the location where he normally met his friends; by the gym. As he neared the end of the aisle, a blue spike head stuck out, surprising him before he chuckled, realizing who it was. Stormfly, a female Deadly Nadder, who was bonded to his friend, Astrid Hofferson. The Nadder instantly nuzzled the teen, wondering if he treats, which he normally did carry in his pockets.

"No treats right now girl," Hiccup said with a small smile, "Otherwise, Astrid would have my head. Knowing her, she'll want you to stay fit for when you try out for the Summer Racing League," he gave her one more pat before leaving her and walking out of the stables. Stepping into the school, he immediately saw his friends.

His cousin Snotlout Jorgeson, saw him shut the door that led to the stables and waved, signaling his arrival to the others. "Hey," The rest of the gang turned and smiled, each doing their form of waving.

Snotlout was the son of Spitelout and Felicia Jorgenson, the former and Hiccup's mother Valka being siblings. His younger sister was Adelaide and she was in her sophomore year, she didn't have a bonded dragon yet, but was going to try this summer. Snotlout's Bonded Dragon is a male Monstrous Nightmare named Hookfang, who loved to set his Human's pants on fire, which usually got everyone laughing. They bonded the summer before ninth grade.

Beside Snotlout were the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, the troublemakers of the group and the school. Hiccup was surprised they hadn't been expelled yet with all the crazy they do. Next to them was Fishlegs Ingerman, one Hiccup would get along well, to talk about random facts on dragons, and Astrid Hofferson, who ironically, he's dating. They weren't girlfriend and boyfriend yet, after all, they'd only been dating for about three and a half months.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut shared a Hideous Zippleback named Barf and Belch (only the twins could name their dragon that). Just like their bonded riders, the Zippleback liked to make things explode, though the twins were careful where they did it. Last time they did something huge, their parents got so mad that they couldn't ride for a month, causing the Zippleback into a minor depression. Now, Ruffnut makes sure what they do it on the  _safe side_. Though, half the time Hiccup feels like he's babysitting them. Like Snotlout, they bonded to their dragon in the summer before the ninth grade. Hiccup wasn't even sure how they managed to bond. Fishlegs, one of the calmer members of the group, was bonded to a female Gronkle, named Meatlug. Like Snotlout, the twins, and Astrid, he bonded to Meatlug the summer before ninth grade.

Though Hiccup was close with his friends now, it wasn't like when they were younger. Hiccup was bullied by the twins and Snotlout until the fifth grade when they protected Hiccup from the biggest bully in their school (who had since transferred schools).

Astrid smiled instantly, "Hi Hiccup," her smile vanished when she saw him give a forced smile. Having known Hiccup since the two were toddlers after she and her family moved to Berk, she knew his body language. "Is everything alright?"

Hiccup shrugged, in a way saying it was and wasn't, "Don't worry about it, an argument with my parents,"

Before Astrid could ask more, the first bell rang. Hiccup sighed but said nothing as he turned and headed to his first class of the day, Gym. Astrid stared after him, wondering what the argument was. She had a small idea of what it was, but it really could be anything.

Hiccup didn't share many classes with his friends, the only one they shared was Dragon Training, though he was more of an assistant since he didn't have a Bonded Dragon. He was able to become the assistant due to extensive knowledge of dragons with his mother's work. What only a few people knew, Valka and Stoick were once traveling dragon researchers. For some unknown reason, they decided to retire early and settled down back on Berk; a few years later they had Hiccup.

. . .

(Outside Cafeteria)

Walking outside to the Outdoor Cafeteria, Hiccup immediately spotted his friends sitting at their usual spot, a table near a large tree, which acted as shade. Their table also had the best view of the Dragon Fields, allowing them to see their dragons. When he spotted Astrid, his mind instantly went back to their earlier argument.

**[Flashback]**

_"How am I wanting to leave a problem?" Hiccup asked as he and Astrid stood outside their shared English AP classroom. They had about four minutes until their class began, but their position wasn't the best. Everyone could see them arguing._

_Astrid huffed and crossed her arms, "Why would you want to leave when you have a perfect life right here! We have everything!"_

_Hiccup glared, "Maybe I want more, is that too much to ask?!"_

_Astrid didn't answer, she didn't know about Hiccup wanting more to life._

_"Fine, if you won't support my dream of exploring, maybe we're not cut to be together,"_

_Astrid's eyes went wide but before she could speak, the bell rang, prompting the two to get to class. Hiccup sat in the back, away from Astrid, who took her normal seat in the front._

**[End Flashback]**

With their argument still fresh in his mind, Hiccup didn't want to see or talk to Astrid for a while. Unfortunately, fate had different plans. Ruffnut saw Hiccup walking by and quickly waved while calling out to him.

Unable to avoid them, Hiccup sighed silently and headed over to their table, but sitting as far away from Astrid. From the looks of things, Astrid hadn't told them about their argument, Hiccup didn't plan on telling them either.

"Any plans for colleges?" Fishlegs was asking as Hiccup sat down. The teen inwardly sighed, glad someone else was bringing up the topic.

"Berk University already got my acceptance letter," Astrid said. "Going to enter their Dragon Racing courses to become a racer, just like Dad and Uncle Finn," hers and Hiccup's argument did hurt her, she didn't want the others to know.

Hiccup knew Astrid was going to go into racing, it was in her blood. She was the captain of their high school's racing team after all. Her uncle, Finn, and father, Grant, were both great racers back in the day. Their Deadly Nadders, Shardstorm and Amberstorm, both were retired now. Though, Amberstorm retired from racing early due to an accident, ending her racing career. Her mother, Inga, and aunt, Alvina, were doctors, working at Berk General Hospital; Inga for adults and Alvina with children. Astrid hopes to get into the Racing League to continue the Hofferson Family of Dragon Racers with Stormfly, one of Amberstorm's children.

"We haven't fully decided yet," Tuffnut said, speaking for him and his twin, "For now, we'll help Mom and Dad in the Interior Design business and attend classes at the community college,"

"We may enter the Doubles Racing in the future," Ruffnut added.

"Going to continue working as a trainer at the health center and may go to the community college," Snotlout said. "I may do the Racing League later on,"

Hiccup remained silent as his friends talked about their plans. As they talked, he pulled out one of the acceptance letters he goes and was fiddling with it under the table.

"Berk University for the Research and Caring classes," Fishlegs answered. "Can't decide which route, figured doing both might help at first,"

"What about you, Hiccup?" Ruffnut asked.

Hiccup opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Astrid. "Why bother? His parents won't him leave; he'll go to Berk University like us. If anything, he'll probably take classes to be a researcher like his parents,"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes; his friends were one of the few people to know about his parents' past job as travelers. Ruffnut gave Astrid a look, "Why don't you let  _Hiccup_  answer?"

Astrid looked at Hiccup who glared at her, making her look down. Hiccup didn't get angry often, and when he did, it was scary. He ended up inheriting his father's temper, and Stoick was someone you never wanted to make angry. "To answer  _Fishlegs_ , I will not be attending Berk University."

Instantly he got stares and surprised looks; Astrid was the first to speak up, "W-what? What do you mean?"

Hiccup could tell there was more she wanted to say, but following their earlier argument, she said nothing. "I'm not going to Berk University because I don't want to. I never mentioned this, but I've been getting college acceptance letters from all over the world. This one is from the Rio de Janeiro Dragon Academy, it came yesterday," he placed the letter on the table followed by two more, "These are from Ontario Royal Dragon Academy and Rome Dragon Academy. I also got acceptance letters from Caldera Cay University and the University of Hysteria."

"Woah," Ruffnut said. They all knew how smart Hiccup was, all but two of his classes were Advanced Placement.

"The colleges are also giving me  _full-ride scholarships_ ," Hiccup added, empathizing the ending.

"But we promised we'd all go to Berk University together..." Astrid whispered.

The auburn-haired teen sighed, "Astrid, we made that pact when we were in the  _fourth grade_ , a time where we didn't even need to talk about college. And we've grown up, and desires change, like mine." he said, giving her a final glare.

_"Will Hiccup Haddock please report to the Front Office? Hiccup Haddock to the Front Office, thank you."_

Everyone outside turned to the gang to see Hiccup looking extremely confused. Shrugging, he grabbed his things, "Better see what they want," and walked back inside. Once he was gone, everyone turned to what they were doing before.

Astrid and the others shared looks, did Hiccup do something? They all knew Hiccup had a streak in being sarcastic at times, but he was always careful.


	2. Chapter Two

**CHAPTER TWO**

Entering the Front Office, he was immediately told to go into the back, to the Principal's office. Hearing that, Hiccup got worried. He was positive he didn't do or say anything that could offend his teachers–well, maybe one teacher. He was just months away from graduating he can't avoid doing anything this time!

Coming up to the Principal's office, he found the door already open. He gave a small knock and peeked in, "Uh, You wanted to see me, Mrs. Grayson?"

"Yes, I did," Anastasia Grayson was a young woman with chestnut-brown hair and blue eyes. "And no, you are not in trouble," she added.

"Oh, thank Odin, I thought I was," he said taking a seat across from her desk.

"You're one of our best students, why would you think you'd be in trouble?" she said, resulting in a weak shrug from Hiccup. "Now, on to why you were called down; have you ever heard of  _Dragon Life_?"

Hiccup stared at her shock, "I... Who hasn't? They are one of the top dragon programs." He managed out, still surprised from the news, "Though, sad that they hadn't found another Night Fury," he said as nonchalantly as possible.

Mrs. Grayson gave Hiccup a look but said nothing. "Anyway, Dragon Life is collaborating with the Barbaric Archipelago high schools, selecting a few to join them as Interns."

Hiccup's mouth opened and closed, unable to speak on the shocking news. He'd love to join Dragon Life, being able to travel and find new dragon species was a dream come true! Alas, he could not, his overprotective parents was the reason why. "B-But what does this have to do with me?" he questioned.

Anastasia smiled a bit, "What would you say if I told you that you were chosen to represent Berk High School?"

That threw Hiccup off. He nearly leaped out of his chair but managed to stay seated. "W-Wait, me? You mean that Dragon Life, one of the greatest Dragon Protection and Research groups wants  _me_  to join them?"

The principal shrugged, "That's it in a nutshell,"

Hiccup was still in shock, "B-But surely there's someone better, like Astrid! Her knowledge of dragons is impressive, and she's the best racer on the team,"  _Also, I know for a fact my parents would never let me go._

Anastasia nodded in agreement, "Yes, Miss Hofferson is someone that could work as well, and she is the best racer, unfortunately, her temper keeps her from being chosen."

Hiccup slowly nodded, understanding the principal's reasoning. Sure, Astrid's dragon knowledge was near Hiccup's, but she did have a somewhat short temper, easily getting annoyed.

"Her competitiveness might also get in the way," Anastasia added. "Also, you know a bit more on the various dragons and species, proven by your last Dragon Classification 101 essay,"

Hiccup paused, thinking back to the essay in question. He had decided to write about the Strike class, namely the Night Fury. Though, he didn't have much information, besides what he learned from studying Toothless; any other information wasn't concrete. He was, however, able to gather more information thanks to some journals from his ancestor, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III.

"Really?" Hiccup voiced softly.

His principal nodded. Hiccup was inclining to accept, but apart of him was still unsure. "Can I have time to think about this? This was all so sudden," he asked, his logical side coming out.

Anastasia nodded, "Of course, this was a bit sudden on you. Think you give me your answer before the last class? I'll have to let Dragon Life know if you are unable to take the offer," she said, pulling a piece of paper out of her desk. As they talked, the bell for the end of lunch rang, sending students and staff to their next classes. "Here, give this to whichever teacher you have to allow you to come back and give me your answer," she quickly signed the paper, then gave it to Hiccup.

"Thank you, I'll have my answer before the end of the day,"

. . .

 _Oh man, this was so sudden. But, amazing. I was chosen out of all the students to be selected for Dragon Life's internship._ Hiccup thought, walking to his next class, Dragon Training.  _This could be what I need to get out of Berk, but it also will make me bring Toothless out into the light. But then again, that's good. I can show that Night Furies aren't extinct and maybe, find more._

Hiccup wasn't able to think about the internship as he needed to get things ready for Dragon Training. As the assistant, he had to get things set up for the class, so pushing the Internship to the back of his mind, he focused on what he needed to do.

Halfway through Study Hall, his final class, Hiccup made his decision. He had started to think about his choice earlier, but after getting a suspicious look from Astrid, he started on some of his homework. He needed to make it look like nothing happened when he was called down.

From her desk, Astrid stared at Hiccup. He'd been acting funny ever since Dragon Training class. She wanted to get to the bottom of it, but every time she tried to get close to Hiccup, something happened. He left last class earlier than she did, as he didn't have a dragon to put away. She wanted to talk to him, but unfortunately, she got to class just as the bell rang and was forced into her seat. Astrid got her chance when their teacher, Mrs. Steward, left the room to do something. Quickly, she got the rest of the gang, and all went to Hiccup's desk, which was in the back of the classroom.

Hiccup knew Astrid was standing near him, her shadow was covering his sketchbook anyway. Also, hanging with Toothless made him focus on his other senses at times. Having a rare Bonded Dragon could do that. He sighed, leaned on his hand and looked up. He quickly noticed that Mrs. Steward wasn't in the room and figured Astrid took her gone to confront him. "Yes, Astrid?"

Astrid was a bit shocked on Hiccup not fazed, "Why you were called down during lunch?" she bluntly asked, quickly crossing her arms over her chest.

Hiccup leaned back, crossing his arms, "It doesn't concern you," he said.

The others were surprised by Hiccup's answer; most things that did happen to him  _did_  concern them.

"I-It does too concern us!" Astrid quickly cried, trying to keep her voice down.

Hiccup gave them all a hard look, a look they'd seen before in Hiccup's mother, Valka, "Then, why does it matter to any of you?" he said slowly.

The look was hard to face, but Snotlout, managed to brave it out, "B-Because, w-we're friends!" he said quickly, feeling a little braver, "We made these plans together and now, you want to leave the island!"

Astrid nodded her head, agreeing with Snotlout (a rare time), "Why would you want to leave, you have everything could ever–"

"You're wrong," Hiccup said cutting Astrid off, "Berk may have everything  _you_  want, not for me. All Berk has for me are people holding me back, keeping me from doing what  _I_  want to do–like my parents and you guys, my  _friends_." Hiccup got a faraway look in his eyes, "I want to get out, maybe find a rare Night Fury," he said as nonchalantly as possible, "I can't do any of that, here on Berk."

Fishlegs had remained silent during the entire ordeal. He'd never heard of Hiccup wanting to leave and explore. The many times he hungover at his house, not once did he hear about it. Astrid spoke before he could voice his thoughts.

Astrid glared at Hiccup, "Your parents will never let you leave! Just forget about it and get ready to graduate like the rest of us and go to BU." She huffed; Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout nodded their heads, agreeing with her. "Suck it up and deal with it."

Something clicked in Hiccup. Why  _was_  he saying he couldn't leave? He was eighteen, the legal adult age! He could leave and no one could stop him!

Without speaking, he quickly threw his sketchbook into his backpack. His sudden movement surprised the others. "W-where are you going?" Astrid asked watching him leave his desk. At that exact moment, Mrs. Steward returned.

Astrid watched as Hiccup pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and showed it to the teacher. A simple nod was all Hiccup needed to leave. "H-Hiccup!

Hiccup stopped for a second, turning to give his  _former_  friends a look before leaving the room. Astrid was quick to follow but Mrs. Steward halted her, "Unless you have a note from a staff member, you will remain here; in your seat," she gave her famous glare, which was enough to send Astrid back to her seat. Astrid could only wait for the clock to go off at the final bell.

. . .

Within minutes, Hiccup was making his way to the back of the front office, where the administrative offices were. He knocked on the door before peeking into the already-opened door. "Mrs. Grayson?"

Anastasia looked up, she was getting worried when she hadn't seen Hiccup since the start of the last class of the day, "Ah, Hiccup comes in. Have you made up your mind?" she asked, moving some papers away as Hiccup entered the room and took a seat across from her desk.

"I have," he said with a smile, "And I accept,"

Anastasia smiled widely, it was almost like she knew Hiccup would accept either way, " _Excelente_! Now, we're going to be an in a time crunch, the plane you need to catch to London, is set to leave at 2:30 from Archi International Airport,"

Hiccup glanced at the clock behind Mrs. Grayson; 12:40 it read, and his eyes went wide. "That's just under two hours!" he exclaimed.

The woman chuckled, "Then you best be heading off,"

"B-But what about school?"

"You have accrued sufficient credits to graduate. And, you've held a 4.0 GPA for the past three years, I think that's good enough," Anastasia smiled. "Your diploma will be mailed to your house, or to an address you can give us."

"I... This is amazing," Hiccup got out.

Anastasia smiled and pushed a folder towards him, "This folder contains all the information you'll need to know about your Internship and also has your plane ticket."

Hiccup gently took the folder, holding it as his life depended on it, "Thank you... Uh, would you happen to know who else was chosen?"

She nodded, "The other islands chosen are Murderous Mountains, Berserk Island, Bog-Burglar Island, Meathead Island, and Hysteria Island. Their chosen students, Soren Axall, Heather Lanvirk, Camicazi Bogsven, Thuggory Holgerson, and Katja Oliversen,"

The last name Anastasia spoke immediately stood out to Hiccup.  _Oliversen? Could she be related to Dr. Kelda Oliversen?_  He thought, remembering having heard the name before. He shook his head deciding to worry about it later. "Thank you for  _everything,_  Mrs. Grayson."

Anastasia smiled as Hiccup rose from his chair, pulling out textbooks from his backpack. "You are very welcome, Hiccup. You've been a marvelous student these past four years. I wish you the best of luck,"

Hiccup sent her a smile before leaving the office. He had ten minutes to get out of the school before the bell rang to let everyone out. Unfortunately, Hiccup was in the front of the school, and the Dragon Stables and Forest were in the  _back_ , which will take him at least ten minutes to go to. He was going to run into his friends no matter what. It also didn't help that he had to stop at his locker and quickly empty it; luckily, he didn't keep a lot of items in it, so it was a quick clean up.

When he reached the Dragon Stables, the bell rang then the crowd of students entering the stables came. Not wanting to get pushed or shoved, Hiccup jumped into the Saddle Room and just stayed there. He would have rushed through, but he didn't want anyone to see Toothless either.

Thankfully, he didn't have a long wait. Students were quick in getting their dragons saddled up and out of the stables. They all wanted to either go home or fly their dragons. Thankfully, the stable that Hiccup was hiding in was the one that held the smaller number of students' dragons (the school having four stables), but also held his friends' and cousin's dragons.

He stepped out of the saddle room, only to groan, his friends were by their dragons. This was not what he wanted. He looked at his watch, seeing that it was 12:50, he had about an hour and a half until he needed to be at the airport.

Astrid turned when she heard someone groan, her eyes went wide when she saw who it was. "Hiccup!"

Everyone else turned and saw Hiccup standing in the doorway of the saddle room. "Hiccup!"

The teen in question groaned and without waiting, turned and walked out of the stables, clenching his backpack with his hand. "What?" he grounded out, his eyes roaming the forest edge.  _Toothless, where are you?_

Toothless was never far from the edge, never had been. He never liked leaving Hiccup alone and spent most of the time watching the school, in the shadows.

Astrid and the others were quick to follow Hiccup out of the stables, completely forgetting their dragons, leaving Fishlegs and Adelaide to get Stormfly, Barf, and Belch, and Hookfang out. Adelaide didn't understand what was going on, besides that Hiccup was annoyed.

 _Hiccup?_ Adelaide wondered, watching her cousin with worry. She could see that he was  _very_  close to snapping at his friends. His posture said it all, or maybe she was just good at reading her cousin. They all knew they had to watch out when Hiccup was angry, he, unfortunately, inherited his father's big temper.

"What do you want?" Hiccup asked, his eyes wandering the fields, "I have somewhere I need to be,"

Astrid narrowed her eyes and moved so she was standing in front of Hiccup, forcing him to look down at her (yep, the senior year he got his newest growth spur–off-topic), "And where do you have to go?" she asked.

"I don't have to tell you," he grounded out, his temper wearing thin. His mind trying to figure out how he was going to get Toothless' saddle through the airport, there were many metal parts that might cause some issues. Somehow, he'd get it through. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something black and shift through the forest. He grinned, which Astrid noticed.

"What are you grinning about?" She demanded.

Hiccup said nothing, only raising his fingers to his mouth and letting out a loud, low, whistle. Astrid and everyone immediately covered their ears since it was sudden and loud. Adelaide didn't since she was a little further behind.

Fishlegs opened his eyes first and they went wide as he saw the black figure leaping out of the forest. "A Night Fury?!" he shouted making everyone look where he was; their eyes widen in shock and surprise as well.

The Night Fury stopped a few feet behind Astrid (or technically in front since she had turned around) and waited patiently for Hiccup. Toothless tuck his tongue out and gave his Human a happy smile. Hiccup smiled and pulled his backpack up before walking casually over to the dragon.

Adelaide left Hookfang and quickly ran over to her cousin, passing her shocked brother and his friends and the even shocked Astrid. "Hiccup?" she asked.

Hiccup turned to face his cousin, her eyes wide with confusion and everything else, "W-What?"

The older cousin sighed, "I was given an opportunity I could not pass up. That's all you need to know," he said. He pulled his backpack on fully and then jumped on Toothless. He faced his friends, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've wasted fifteen minutes here and I have a plane to catch at 2:30," Without waiting for a command, Toothless turned and shot into the forest, leaving everyone in the dust.

Adelaide's eyes were shining, she knew how much he wanted to leave. Hiccup confided to her multiple times.  _You can do it._

Fishlegs stared in shock where Hiccup and the Night Fury vanished, still in shock. Night Furies were extremely rare and to the point where they almost consisted extinct.

Astrid stared where Hiccup fled. She heard what Hiccup said to Adelaide, an opportunity he couldn't pass up. What was it? She shook her head and pulled her phone out.

"What are you doing?" Ruffnut asked, breaking the silence.

"Calling Stoick," Astrid said, pushing a button and putting the phone to her ear.

. . .

(Haddock House – 01:00 pm)

Obviously, with a Night Fury, it wouldn't take Hiccup long to get home. Hiccup knew for sure that Astrid would be calling his father, so he had to rush and get what he wanted and get out of the house. At the same time, he wasn't sure if his parents would be able to leave work: his dad was the Mayor of Berk and getting out so sudden would not be easy. Rushing inside after unlocking the backdoor, Hiccup raced up the stairs. He stopped once to grab a large duffle bag, there was  _no way_  he was getting a rolling suitcase on Toothless, that was impossible and be uncomfortable for the dragon.

Hiccup sped into his room and threw the bag on his bed. He immediately turned his laptop on, he needed to move things from his phone to his laptop, he wasn't taking his phone, but he was taking his laptop and drawing tablet. As his laptop and phone did their things, Hiccup began to pack his clothing. He wasn't sure how much to take, so he took what he could. He had empty his school backpack deciding to use it as a carry-on and use it as second luggage. Once he got his bathroom items packed, he saw his computer was ready and everything else. He moved his pictures of Toothless off his phone and into his "Toothless" folder on his computer, along with the music he had. While that was going on, he unplugged his laptop and began to wrap it up.

While flying home, Hiccup made up his mind about leaving some items behind, mainly his phone and some bathroom items. With a tracking device in his phone, Hiccup didn't need his parents tracking him. He was going to wait to buy shampoo and conditioner in Great Britain, it would be easier and wouldn't have to worry about the size.

Within ten minutes everything was packed, including his laptop, which was loaded into his carry-on backpack along with his tablet. He also ended his subscription with the Art Program he was using, he'd buy another one later. Zipping the duffle bag up and placing his phone on the bed (taking off his custom-made phone case), he left his room and walked to his father's office. He needed a few documents before he could go, namely his passport and his birth certificate (just in case). He unlocked the safe that had his documents in it and put both items into his backpack along with the folder Mrs. Grayson gave him. Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw that it was 1:15. He had an hour and a quarter until he was due to leave for London. Hiccup decided he'd worry about his bank account once he got to the airport, he would call and see what they could do with his money. He needed to get to Archi International Airport–the main airport of the islands–now.


End file.
